Systems and methods for phone call management

ABSTRACT

A communication system includes client software operating on a PC, or similar platform, and a client telephone that is connected to a call routing server. A user manages telephone communication, including incoming and outgoing calls, conference calls and call forwarding, through the client software. The client software commands the call routing server using instant messenger communication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to communication and in particular relates to integration of existing communication formats in a manner that provides additional functionality to a user.

Various communication formats are commonly used for electronic communication. In particular, email and instant messenger formats are commonly used for communication through a personal computer (PC) or other device. Telephone communication is generally performed using a dedicated stand-alone telephone device (desktop telephone, cell phone, or other device). In some cases Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) may allow telephone communication using a PC or similar device. Generally, some additional hardware is needed to use a PC in this way (e.g. an IP handset). Where a telephone is integrated with a PC in this way (as a softphone) telephone calls are generally made on a peer-to-peer basis. Softphones have certain advantages including the ability to manage telephone communication in ways that are more difficult from a traditional telephone. For example, a call may be made from an address book simply by clicking on the phone number, instead of punching the number into a keypad. A call log may be automatically maintained. Because such features are not generally available with stand-alone telephones, there is a need for better integration of telephone and computer based communication systems to provide additional functions with stand-alone telephones.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for integrated voice and text communication according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a call routing server that is connected to a client telephone; an instant messenger server that is in communication with the call routing server and is also in communication via instant messenger with a client device that is associated with the client telephone; and wherein the call routing server manages calls to and from the telephone in response to commands received from the client device via the instant messenger server.

A method of integrating telephone and computer communication according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: associating a telephone with a client device, the client device having instant messenger communication capability; and managing operation of a call routing server connected to the telephone by instant messenger commands send from the client device.

A method of managing telephone calls to and from a telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: sending a first instant messenger communication from a client device associated with the telephone to a call routing server that is connected to the telephone, the first instant messenger communication containing information regarding an outgoing telephone call including a destination; the call routing server placing the outgoing telephone call to the destination and connecting the telephone to the destination in response to the first instant messenger communication; and in response to the call routing server receiving an incoming telephone call directed to the telephone, sending a second instant messenger communication to the client device that is associated with the telephone, the second instant messenger communication including information regarding the incoming telephone call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a communication system during placement of an outgoing call with client software using IM communication to manage telephone communication through the call routing server.

FIG. 2 shows the communication system as an incoming call is received including the sending of an IM by the call routing server, the IM including call parameters such as start time, error code etc.

FIG. 3 shows the communication system updating presence information for a user when an incoming telephone call is accepted.

FIG. 4 shows the communication system performing a call forwarding operation, the call forwarding operation initiated by client software sending an IM to the call routing server that commands the server to forward the call, and identifying the destination to which the call is to be forwarded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user has both a client computer and a stand-alone telephone, and manages telephone calls to and from the telephone through the client computer. This provides various features associated with computer management of telephone communication (address book, phone log etc.) while still using legacy telephone technology including stand-alone telephones. Instead of using software on a Personal Computer (PC) as a softphone to replace a traditional telephone, software on a PC may be used to add functionality to a legacy telephone. In this way, if the PC is not used, the telephone may still be used as a telephone in the usual way. Thus, if the PC is not booted up, or if network problems affect communication with the PC, the telephone still functions. When the PC is operating normally, software gives the user many of the advantages of a softphone.

In one example, telephone calls are routed through a Call Routing Server (CRS) and the CRS is managed by Client Software (CS) on a suitable platform such as a PC. One convenient format for communication between the CS and the CRS is Instant Messenger (IM). Several instant messenger formats are currently in widespread use and any of these formats, or similar formats, may be used. Suitable formats include, but are not limited to, ICQ™, AIM™, MSN™, XMPP and Jabber™. A CRS may be configured to receive commands from a CS via IM and to manage telephone communication to and from one or more telephones in response to the IM communication received.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a communication system that uses IM communication to manage telephone calls. A server portion 100 of the communication system includes an Instant Messenger Server (IMS), an Interactive Voice Response Server (IVRS), a Call Routing Server (CRS) a Data Access Server (DAS), a dedicated (or distributed) Data Store (DS) and at least one Phone Gateway (PG). Server portion 100 may also include other components that are not shown here for clarity. For example, more than one of any of the servers listed may be provided.

The IMS comprises computer hardware (CH) and software which includes a data exchange module (DEM), a message handling module (MHM), an authentication and authorization module (AAM) and a presence manager module (PMM). The presence manager module generally maintains presence information regarding users through instant messenger communication.

The IVRS comprises computer hardware (CH) and software which includes an interactive voice response (IVR) module, a call processing module (CPM), a data exchange module (DEM), a messaging module (MM) and a authentication and authorization module (AAM). The IVRS provides the user with information regarding telephone management. The IVRS may inform the user about call status and may obtain user preferences through a phone menu.

The CRS comprises computer hardware (CH) and software which includes a call routing module (CRM), a data exchange module (DEM), an authentication and authorization module (AAM), a phone registration module (PRM) and a messaging module (MM). The CRS is configured so that the CRM may be operated according to commands received by instant messenger.

The DAS comprises computer hardware (CH) and software which includes a data access module (DAM), authentication and authorization module (AAM) and data exchange module (DEM). The DAS acts as a gateway for accessing data stored in the DS.

The DS comprises data storage hardware which could be one or more computer hard drive, flash drive, NAS, SUN or any other data storage device or devices and data management software i.e. data-base management system, file system, etc. The DS is used to store data used by the other servers.

Server portion 100 of the communication system may consist of software on a single hardware platform or may consist of software extending over several hardware platforms. Where several platforms are used, the servers remain in communication with each other using IP protocol. The term “server” is generally used to describe software that performs server functions in relation to a client and is not limited to any particular hardware configuration, though in some cases a server may operate on a dedicated hardware platform (sometimes also referred to as a server). In one example, the server portion consists of several software servers on a single hardware platform, each server performing a different function.

Server portion 100 may be connected to one or more Client Agents (CAs). Only one CA is shown in FIG. 1 for clarity, though in many systems a server portion serves many CAs. The CA includes a CS operating on a PC in the present example, and a Client Phone (CP), which is a stand-alone telephone in the present example. In other examples, the CP may be a softphone operating on the same PC as the CS. In other examples, the CA may be a mobile device having both IM and telephone capability.

The CA has a unique identifier (agent-id), and any other CAs that are connected to server portion 100 also have unique identifiers. The CS has a unique location identifier (s-location-id), and any other CSs that are connected to the server portion also have unique location identifiers. The CP has a unique device identifier (device-id) and a device location identifier (d-location-id), and any other CPs that are connected to the server portion also have unique device and location identifiers. In addition, all telephone calls passing through the CRS have a unique identifier (call-id) and each instant message contains the sender's signature and is uniquely identifiable.

Communication between components of the present system may be secure (encrypted) or not secure (unencrypted). A user may select a security setting according to the level of security desired.

The CA is connected to the IMS for communication by instant messenger. The CP is registered with the CRS, so that the CRS can select the CP as a destination for a telephone call and recognizes the CP as a valid origination point for telephone call. The CS is associated with the CP and information that the two components are linked may be stored in the DS. The CS may be linked to the CP by associating the CP's d-location-id and device-id with the s-location-id of the CS. In some cases, these are associated by a person who configures the system. In some cases, there may be a default scheme that associates a particular CP with a CA.

During startup of the CS, the CS requests information about the CRS and IMS from the DS. This allows the CS to communicate with the CRS via instant messenger. The CRS then recognizes IM communication from the CS as commands and manages telephone calls to and from the CP according to those commands.

FIG. 1 shows the situation where a user makes an outgoing call from the CP using the CS. For example, instead of dialing a number directly on the CP, a user may consult an address book through the CS and dial the number directly from the address book. In response to the user's selection of a particular number to dial, the CS sends an IM 102 “IM-Originate call” that contains information about the call to be placed. In particular, IM 102 contains signal information required by call control protocol, call-id, device-id and d-location-id for the CP and s-location-id for the CS. In other examples, the CS may send device-ids and d-location-ids for multiple devices. For example, the user may wish to initiate a conference call by calling a list of people together.

IM 102 is sent from the CS to the IMS, where it is directed to the CRS. When the CRS receives IM 102 from the CS, it initially establishes a call between the IVRS and the CP (based on the device-id provided in the IM 102). For example, the CP may ring, indicating a call so that the user picks up the handset. The IVRS then plays a prerecorded message to the user. For example, “Your call is being placed, please hold.” While this message is being played, the IVRS initiates a call to the destination 104 (telephone number) indicated by the user via the CRS. In the example of FIG. 1, the outgoing call goes through the PG, though in other cases the call may go to another CA that is connected to server portion 100. When the call from the CRS to destination 104 is connected (e.g. when the person at the other end picks up the phone), the prerecorded message stops and the IVRS connects the two calls so that the user of the CP is in telephone contact with the destination. If the call to destination 104 is not successful, the CRS informs the IVRS and the IVRS may play a prerecorded message to the user indicating that the cal was not successful.

FIG. 2 shows the communication system of FIG. 1 during receipt of an incoming call. A call is received by the CRS through the PG. The call contains information regarding the destination. In this case the destination is the CP, identified by device-id or d-location-id. The CRS directs the call to the CP causing the CP to ring, or otherwise indicate an incoming call. In addition, the CRS sends an IM 210, “IM-Call parameters,” to the CS via the IMS. IM-Call parameters contains information about the call including start time, error code information etc. If the call is sent to multiple destinations, IM 210 may be sent to all destinations. Also, if the call is transferred the transfer destination receives the IM 210. Other events such as the call being placed on hold, answered or hung up may also cause the CRS to send an IM to the CA or other CAs.

When IM 210 is received by the CA, the CRS is identified so that the CA can respond with an appropriate command according to the user's preferences. The user may be presented with information about the incoming call on screen and also presented with options such as “transfer the call,” “put call on hold,” or “hang-up the call,” etc. The user can respond by picking up the handset of the CP or can respond through the CS. When the user responds through the CS, the CS sends an IM to the CRS that identifies the call-id and specifies what action the CRS should take with the call.

One feature of instant messenger systems that is useful in efficient communication is presence awareness. Generally, IM systems maintain presence state information for all users. A user may be assigned a presence state from a finite set of presence states. A user's presence state may be used to manage communication. When the user is on the phone (i.e. has placed an outgoing call or accepted an incoming call), the user's presence state may be updated accordingly. FIG. 3 shows such an updating operation that occurs after the user accepts the telephone call of FIG. 2. Because the user has accepted the incoming telephone call, the CRS sends an IM 320 (IM-Change presence) to the CS, via the IMA, requesting the CS to update presence information for the user. In this case, the requested update is to change the user's presence state to “on the phone.” In other cases, a request may be made to change the user's presence state to a different state such as “away,” “available,” or some other state. The CS makes this change in response and the change may be reflected in the status of the user as shown to other people connected to the server portion. For example, if the user was involved in an IM exchange, the user's status would change to “on the phone” and other participants would see the change and would be able to act accordingly. Any time the user accepts a call, transfers away a call, places a call on hold, hangs up a call or otherwise changes the user's condition, the CRS may send an IM to the CS requesting that the CS change the user's presence state.

An alternative outcome to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (where the user accepts the incoming call) is shown in FIG. 4. In the example of FIG. 4, the user of the CA does not accept the call. Instead the user forwards the call to an alternate device 430 with a different device identifier “Alt device-id.” As in the example, the CRS sends an IM 432, “IM-Call parameters” to the CS, via the IMS. This may cause the CS to display various options to the user including forwarding the call. Alternatively, the user may have selected an option to automatically forward the call to alternate device 430. In either case, the CS sends an IM 434 “IM-reply” to the CRS, via the IMS. IM 434 includes the command to forward the call and the destination to which the call is to forwarded (Alt device-id). The CRS may then send the call to alternate device 430 in the same manner as previously described (sending an IM) or otherwise. If the call is accepted by the user of alternate device 430, the CRS connects the incoming call to alternate device 430. A call may also be transferred away after a user has initially accepted the call in a manner similar to that described above.

In addition to the operations shown, the CS may send an IM command to the CRS to add more callers to an ongoing telephone call. Thus, multiple callers may be conferenced into a conference call using a PC interface instead of using a telephone interface, which is often not as user friendly. The CS may send an IM command to the CRS to place an ongoing call on hold or to hang up the call.

While the examples discussed above show a single CP controlled through a CRS by a CP, in other examples one CS may control more than one CP and such CPs may not be close to the CS. For example, a single PC in a call-center may control the distribution of calls to various employees, with instant messenger used as the communication format to command the CRS (or CRSs).

While the examples discussed above include a PC and a stand-alone telephone, the methods described may be used with other hardware also. Telephone calls to and from a softphone may also be managed as described.

All patents, patent applications, articles, books, specifications, other publications, documents and things referenced herein are hereby incorporated herein by this reference in their entirety for all purposes. To the extent of any inconsistency or conflict in the definition or use of a term between any of the incorporated publications, documents or things and the text of the present document, the definition or use of the term in the present document shall prevail.

Although the various aspects of the present invention have been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it is understood that the invention is entitled to protection within the full scope of the appended claims. 

1. A method of managing telephone calls to and from a telephone comprising: sending a first instant messenger communication from a client device associated with the telephone to a call routing server that is connected to the telephone, the first instant messenger communication containing information regarding an outgoing telephone call including a destination; the call routing server placing the outgoing telephone call to the destination and connecting the telephone to the destination in response to the first instant messenger communication; and in response to the call routing server receiving an incoming telephone call directed to the telephone, sending a second instant messenger communication to the client device that is associated with the telephone, the second instant messenger communication including information regarding the incoming telephone call.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting the telephone to an interactive voice response server while the call routing server places the outgoing telephone call, prior to connecting the telephone to the destination, the interactive voice response server providing voice information to the telephone.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein an incoming telephone call is placed on hold in response to an instant messenger command sent from the client device to the call routing server.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein a telephone call is transferred in response to an instant messenger command sent from the client device to the call routing server.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the instant messenger commands are dependent on presence information regarding the user.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein an incoming telephone call is hung-up in response to an instant messenger command sent from the client device to the call routing server. 